Uber is expanding its $4,000 “Go Electric” grant to drivers across the country

Since last year, Uber has been providing drivers in a few locations — California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York City — $4,000 to swap gas consumers for electric cars. The company must have liked the results because today it announced it will expand eligibility for the Go Electric grant to drivers nationwide for the first time.

Timing, of course, is everything. Gas prices have been rising at a steady pace since the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran last month. Uber drivers are particularly vulnerable to rising fuel prices, as increased fuel costs directly reduce their wages. But with no more federal incentives to purchase electric vehicles, many drivers are still hesitant to switch to electric vehicles.

Uber is trying to make it easier by expanding the Go Electric grant. Drivers who want to trade in their gas-powered vehicles for an eligible electric vehicle can register on the company’s website. Uber says it will start processing requests on April 16.

Uber says it has 286,000 electric car drivers on its platform globally, but that’s far short of the company’s goal, first announced in 2020, of being fully… Carbon neutrality in North America and Europe by 2030 And in all global markets by 2040. Originally, Uber said it would not pay drivers directly to ditch their gas-burning vehicles in favor of electric cars. But then the company reversed that decision in the hope that direct payments would help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles.

But the elimination of federal incentives, including a $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicle purchases and $4,000 for used cars, has exacerbated the problem. Uber’s efforts to become an electric-only vehicle platform have been hampered. Now, the company is rolling back a California measure mandating more electric car rides, and has eliminated $1-per-ride bonuses for EV drivers, as well as ridership fees that drivers can use to buy new EVs.

It has since settled on a one-off Go Electric grant to get drivers to make the switch. It also works directly with automakers to discount electric vehicle purchases for Uber drivers. Today, the company said Kia will offer Uber drivers exclusive discounts on its electric models, including $1,000 off the Kia Niro and EV6, and $1,500 off the EV9. Uber drivers who purchase a new or used electric car through TrueCar can get an additional $1,000 discount.